Books You Should Read

[amsgator]

I regularly see posts asking for help on how to get more clients, how to start online training, etc. I've come up with a list of books I think will help new trainers answer many of these questions as well as help veteran trainers boost their numbers. I have included part of the Amazon synopsis so you've got an idea of what's in the book. This list is not by any means an exhaustive list but it's a good place to start. I will update it from time to time as I come across new books that I feel are relevant to this industry. Many of the books are available as eBooks (Kindle) in addition to print. Feel free to share ones you've found.

Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career (Revised, Updated, and Expanded)

Repeatedly called one of the "best books for personal trainers", it provides a clear road map teaching you how to become a personal trainer, to getting a personal trainer certification, to building your career from the bottom up so you can build a clientele, your reputation, and income.

The Online Personal Trainer Blueprint: Have More Freedom, Make More Money, Help More People

From the author of the highly acclaimed, Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career comes a personal training book that teaches how to build an online personal training business.

The Art of Selling Memberships: How I've Sold Millions of Dollars in Gym Memberships and How You Can Too

Selling gym memberships is a true art and like art you can create a beautiful masterpiece that brings you millions of dollars or you can be a starving artist. In this groundbreaking new book, you will learn how a man turned himself from a membership sales beginner into a membership sales master, selling millions of dollars in memberships along the way.

The Personal Training Sales Education Textbook: A simple and effective sales system designed specifically for the personal trainer in the health club

This book contains a simple and effective sales system for the personal trainer. Whether you’re a seasoned health club veteran seeking some innovative sales techniques to add to your bag of tricks or you’re brand new to the personal training industry and are in need of a complete personal training sales system that will hand you the tools to rapidly generate a top level income in your gym, you’ve come to the right place.

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.

[KyleAaron]

Once you get them you have to keep them. With that in mind, a couple of useful books are Daniel Pink's Drive and Matthew Syed's Bounce.

Neither are about PT as such, but the one talks about what motivates people at work, which is not money but autonomy, mastery and purpose, and the other talks about the process of achieving master - have the right environment and practice for a long time. I've found both books to be useful in helping me keep client, mainly by encouraging a mindset of mastery.

[amsgator]

Anatomy Without a Scalpel - Second Edition was released last month.

In the first section of the book, the basic principles of anthropometry and anatomy, as they apply to doing and teaching exercise, are laid out. Everything from microscopic muscle structure to analyzing body segments and exercise position are considered. The second section delivers, from the ground up, a tour of the bones, joints, muscles, and other structures important to human movement. When you finish this book, you will be able to more quickly and accurately detect anatomical structures, explain and plan more efficient and safe exercise movement, and more expediently reach your personal and professional goals in the world of exercise and fitness. Simply put, you will be a better trainer or trainee.

[amsgator]

Not directly PT related, but every business (including PTs) needs a good website so people can find you and see what you've got to offer. IMO WordPress is by far the easiest and best way for non-techy folks to get a professional website up and running.

Build Your Own Wordpress Website: Wordpress Development and How to Use Wordpress for Small Business Owners and Beginners

All you need to know about SEO: The Ultimate Guide For Small Business Owners

[Ronin4help]

Not directly PT related, but every business (including PTs) needs a good website so people can find you and see what you've got to offer. IMO WordPress is by far the easiest and best way for non-techy folks to get a professional website up and running.

Build Your Own Wordpress Website: Wordpress Development and How to Use Wordpress for Small Business Owners and Beginners

All you need to know about SEO: The Ultimate Guide For Small Business Owners

Websites should be considered only if you have material to upload, and I mean lots of material. Most trainers have about one page worth of information so for them a ******** page will suffice.

If you grow oranges in your backyard and want to sell them, you do not need a 10,000 sq ft building to lease you just need a small fruit cart.

[amsgator]

Websites should be considered only if you have material to upload, and I mean lots of material. Most trainers have about one page worth of information so for them a ******** page will suffice.

If you grow oranges in your backyard and want to sell them, you do not need a 10,000 sq ft building to lease you just need a small fruit cart.

Then those trainers have no clue how to set up a website, and should therefore read the book(s). A contact page and about me page is 2 pages right there, and that hasn't even gotten into the types of training they offer, testimonials, pictures, blog, etc. Believe it or not you can have a website without it being an enterprise suite.

You'll never show up in Google without a website. "Your city + personal trainer" will turn up your competition. This is 2016. Most people research businesses online before they ever step foot in the door.

Not to mention having a professional email address instead of yourtrainer@gmail.com. Nothing is more tacky than giving out a gmail or yahoo email address as your "business" email address.

But then again, you're right and I'm wrong.

I guarantee I will out smart you. You know it and I know it.

[Ronin4help]

Actually, nothing is more pathetic than someone pretending to have a real business. Getting a domain, a website and a company logo when you really have no one working for you but yourself, earn less than $30,000 a year and have nothing to say on the site besides what services you offer and your prices, makes you seem like someone who is pretending to by something by impressing others. Sure, your mom and your little brother will be impressed and will congratulate you but the rest of us will not be fooled. Just get a ******** page. Be real. Be authentic. There is a lot you can do with a business ******** page that you cannot do with a personal one. It is much better than an empty website.

Your advice is why I know you are not good at personal training. Your ideas are like those of someone who only has a couple years experience. Every time you post a response it is basic information that everyone else already knows.

[amsgator]

Actually, nothing is more pathetic than someone pretending to have a real business. Getting a domain, a website and a company logo when you really have no one working for you but yourself, earn less than $30,000 a year and have nothing to say on the site besides what services you offer and your prices, makes you seem like someone who is pretending to by something by impressing others. Sure, your mom and your little brother will be impressed and will congratulate you but the rest of us will not be fooled. Just get a ******** page. Be real. Be authentic. There is a lot you can do with a business ******** page that you cannot do with a personal one. It is much better than an empty website.

Everyone knows you've got to be making 6 figures and have at least 10 employees before you can buy a domain name and post things on your own interwebz page. That's common sense.

Your advice is why I know you are not good at personal training. Your ideas are like those of someone who only has a couple years experience. Every time you post a response it is basic information that everyone else already knows.

Except you. You've obviously got no clue how to market yourself if you think a ******** page is all you need. You've got some serious issues feeling the need to constantly start arguing with people about topics you think you understand. This forum isn't dedicated to the type of help you need but hopefully one day you'll find it.

Speaking of years of experience...Something tells me if you were as smart and clever as you think you are you'd have more than 3811 reps with 1,932 posts over the last 10 years. So while you might think you're this super smart guy who knows everything, it appears the rest of the forum disagrees.

You can take your arguing elsewhere so everyone else reading this thread can stay on topic.

[Ronin4help]

Makes zero difference. You will not make a penny more with an empty website.

"OMG honey, we really should hire this one. He has a website!'

LOL

[Ronin4help]

Everyone knows you've got to be making 6 figures and have at least 10 employees before you can buy a domain name and post things on your own interwebz page. That's common sense.



Except you. You've obviously got no clue how to market yourself if you think a ******** page is all you need. You've got some serious issues feeling the need to constantly start arguing with people about topics you think you understand. This forum isn't dedicated to the type of help you need but hopefully one day you'll find it.

Speaking of years of experience...Something tells me if you were as smart and clever as you think you are you'd have more than 3811 reps with 1,932 posts over the last 10 years. So while you might think you're this super smart guy who knows everything, it appears the rest of the forum disagrees.

You can take your arguing elsewhere so everyone else reading this thread can stay on topic.

Now it's time to have fun...

So let's say I have a website. What do you suggest I do next?

[Angeluvlove]

.................

[amsgator]

Now it's time to have fun...

So let's say I have a website. What do you suggest I do next?

I know reading is tough but stay with us.

Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career (Revised, Updated, and Expanded)

The Online Personal Trainer Blueprint: Have More Freedom, Make More Money, Help More People

Build Your Own Wordpress Website: Wordpress Development and How to Use Wordpress for Small Business Owners and Beginners

All you need to know about SEO: The Ultimate Guide For Small Business Owners

[Ronin4help]

I'm asking you. Your advice is to refer me to books you did not write? I don't get it. Let me ask you again... If I get my website, what do you suggest I do after that? Getting a website was your suggestion. You seem very stern on this as a major component to success so it is fair to ask you why. What do you suggest I do once I have my site? This is your chance to shine. To prove you know what you are talking about and not just full of sh*t. Don't post a cartoon or deflect, just answer the question.

[amsgator]

I'm asking you. Your advice is to refer me to books you did not write? I don't get it. Let me ask you again... If I get my website, what do you suggest I do after that? Getting a website was your suggestion. You seem very stern on this as a major component to success so it is fair to ask you why. What do you suggest I do once I have my site? This is your chance to shine. To prove you know what you are talking about and not just full of sh*t. Don't post a cartoon or deflect, just answer the question.

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel just to appease some poor soul who thinks he's got to prove himself to internet strangers.

[Ronin4help]

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel just to appease some poor soul who thinks he's got to prove himself to internet strangers.

In other words... you haven't a clue. Precisely what I thought. But you are really good at posting cartoons. So go ahead, continue being the class clown. It's entertaining.

[KyleAaron]

Your ideas are like those of someone who only has a couple years experience. Every time you post a response it is basic information that everyone else already knows.

This level is actually ideal for most of the audience of this subforum, Ronin, in the same way that "how to squat" or "this is why we do 5s not 10s" is ideal for the exercise subforum. Most of the audience has less than two years' experience, a glance down the thread titles of any of the subforums will show that.

You two seriously need to stop this nonsense. You each have a useful perspective and experience to offer. Discuss, and discuss aggressively, but save the bullsht for the Misc.

[Ronin4help]

This level is actually ideal for most of the audience of this subforum, Ronin, in the same way that "how to squat" or "this is why we do 5s not 10s" is ideal for the exercise subforum. Most of the audience has less than two years' experience, a glance down the thread titles of any of the subforums will show that.

You two seriously need to stop this nonsense. You each have a useful perspective and experience to offer. Discuss, and discuss aggressively, but save the bullsht for the Misc.

I think I made my point. I have no further interest in continuing this ridiculous dialogue. I enjoy helping genuinely perplexed trainers, not wasting my time in these 'post battles' that accomplish nothing.